Lori Jeltema's Blog

Ever have that buyer that just won’t stop worrying about their purchase?  Constantly wondering if another call to the listing agent is needed?  Should I have typed a better cover letter?  Was the proof of funds adequate and clearly stated?   Constantly second guessing their agent?

Well guess what?  I have one of those buyers right now and that buyer is ME!!  I’m driving not only ME crazy but a few of my (very patient) co-workers and especially my broker! 

How is it that we can walk our clients through transaction after transaction with such calm focus but make ourselves sick worrying about our own deals?  Sure, I worry about my buyers and sellers.  My entire family can attest to the fact that I have many sleepless nights worried about the welfare of those that I represent.  I have shed tears after my first time buyers lost their 5th consecutive bid on a home in a neighborhood they loved and worried endlessly about sellers who were being forced to double up on  a mortgage and rent.  I usually will call my husband when I’m finished for the day and, that wonderful man, he somehow knows by the sound of my voice if I need a drink handed to me when I walk in the door!

Through every client’s problem, I could eventually sit back and analyze the situation and come up with a working plan to make the situation better.  But now, I AM the plan.  After asking a fellow agent and my broker to review my offer ‘just one more time’ and give me feedback, I had to take a step back and once again think about the emotional roller coaster that our clients go through.  Sure, we worry and agonize with them during the transaction, but that’s just it….we agonize with them during the transaction.  We strive to have the best possible outcome we can for them but ultimately, the buyer will close on their home and the seller will sell (hopefullyJ).  We keep in touch, we worry that they are happy.  We hope that nothing in the house breaks during the first couple years for our buyers and that they don’t call after 6 months telling us that the don’t like their neighbors.  Unless our sellers are sticking around and buying another home with us, they are gone and we try to keep in touch.  We hope that we did a good enough job for them to trust us enough to refer us to friends.  We don’t, however, have to make the mortgage payments for them and we don’t have to be the ones locking up and walking out the door of a home full of great memories for the last time.

This recent attempt to purchase a property (I don’t even have a reply back from the seller yet and am tempted to call AGAIN immediately after I post this) has really made me think about my clients in a whole new light.  When I think about how much trust they put in us, it truly amazes me.  I know how hard I work and I know how much effort I put into making things work out in their best interest but I have a whole new level of respect for my clients who have been gracious and more patient with me that I have been with myself.